As citizens look for hurricane information online, government websites are under high demand. In late 2012, media, government, the private sector and citizens all now will play an important role in sharing information about what’s happening and providing help to one another.

In that context, it’s key to understand that it’s government weather data, gathered and shared from satellites high above the Earth, that’s being used by a huge number of infomediaries to forecast, predict and instruct people about what to expect and what to do. In perhaps the most impressive mashup of social and government data now online, an interactive Google Crisis Map for Hurricane Sandy pictured below predicts the future of the ‘Frankenstorm’ in real-time, including a NYC-specific version.

Matt Lira, the director of digital for the Majority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, made an important, clear connection between open government, weather data and the a gorgeous wind visualization that has been getting passed around today.

This dynamic wind map is an example of how open government data can be utilized in effective & creative ways: hint.fm/wind/#opengov

In New York City, as the city’s websites faced heavy demand when residents went to its hurricane evacuation finder on Sunday, residents could also go and consult WYNC’s beautiful evacuation map. (Civiguard also activated an instant evacuation zone checker for smartphones and modern browsers.) WNYC data news editor John Keefe is responsible for the map below that puts the city’s open government data in action.

By releasing open data for uses in these apps, New York City and the U.S. federal government are acting as a platform for public media, civic entrepreneurs and nonprofits to enable people to help themselves and one another at a crucial time. When natural disasters loom, public data feeds can become critical infrastructure.

For one more example of how this looks in practice, look at WNYC’s storm surge map for New York and New Jersey.

If you have more examples of data, maps, apps, code or services relevant to the hurricane or its aftermath, please share them in the comments or write to alex@oreilly.com. And if you’re in the path of the storm, please stay safe.